SYDNEY (AFP) – One woman died in Australia yesterday as authorities ordered residents in the country’s flood-ravaged northeast to evacuate and be on the lookout for crocodiles as river levels approach historic highs.
Authorities in the Australian state of Queensland said parts of the state received more than 600 millimetres in 24 hours.
With heavy rains continuing, residents in flood-prone areas of Townsville were told to evacuate their homes by midday yesterday.
The city’s disaster management group coordinator Zac Dawes said 2,100 homes were under evacuation orders yesterday evening.
But “about 10 per cent” of the community did not heed the order, he said.
Rising floodwaters forced the closure of the local airport and Townsville University Hospital to delay elective surgeries.
The state’s premier David Crisafulli warned yesterday more rain was forecast which could result in “record rainfalls”.
The weather conditions were unlike anything the state had experienced “for a long time”, Crisafulli said.
“It’s not just the intensity, but it’s also the longevity of it,” he told the ABC national broadcaster earlier yesterday.
According to police a woman died yesterday after the boat she was in capsized in the rural town of Ingham, around 230 kilometres from Cairns.
“Take the precautions, prepare for the worst, listen to the advice – please don’t discount this,” Crisafulli said.
